Many organic materials are stored and ultimately require disposal. Disposal, however, is becoming more difficult with increasing environmental regulations. In addition, conventional disposal methods, for example incineration, may create additional waste, and may create a hazard especially when the organic materials are exoenergetic materials.
Use of cerium in an electrochemical cell is taught by Silva et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,088 issued May 30, 1995. The Silva et al. process is for the purpose of recovering catalyst material from latent catalyst material solids. Oil or organic material is preferably extracted or removed from latent catalyst material solids before the latent catalyst material solids are placed into the electrochemical cell. However, organic material may be reacted in the electrochemical cell together with the latent catalyst material solids, but with a reduced efficiency of recovering catalyst material.
The destruction of cutting oils using catalyzed electrochemical oxidation technology has been studied (Surma et al. 1991) using silver (II) as the catalyst in the HNO.sub.3 anolyte solution. That work indicated that near complete (&gt;99.9%) destruction of the oil could be achieved. Optimization of the oil destruction rate by selecting operating parameters of temperature, silver concentration, and electrode current density resulted in destruction efficiencies greater than 99.9%. Operating temperatures up to about 70.degree. C. were preferred.
Studies by Bray et al. 1989 have shown that organic compounds may be destroyed using electrochemical methods coupled with a catalytic oxidant, such as silver or cerium. However, the work indicated that cerium may not be kinetically fast enough for an industrial organic oxidation process.
The apparatus and method of the co-pending application Ser. No. 08/634,662, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,508 has the disadvantage of varying flow rate of the treatment mixture through the electrochemical cell. It has a further disadvantage of inadequate offgas treatment.
Others have used a catalyst/cocatalyst composition for oxidizing organic waste material to produce hydrogen. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,540, and European Patent Application 0 246 957 A1 both to Dhooge. Another example is scrubbing of SO.sub.2 and No.sub.x using a Ce(IV) containing solution as described in the article SCRUBBING OF SO.sub.2 AND NO.sub.X USING A Ce(IV) CONTAINING SOLUTION: A KINETIC INVESTIGATION, M Aurousseau, F Lapicque, The 1995 ICHEME Research Event/First European Conference V. 1562-564, 1995.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of disposal of organic materials that is safe for both the environment and the personnel handling the organic materials, simplified compared to needing a catalyst/cocatalyst combination and which permits a steady flow rate through the electrochemical cell.